This invention relates to pet accessories. More particularly it relates to sleeping bags for pets.
Household pets, in particularly dogs, are often more comfortable in the winter when they can lie on a fabric surface. While a soft fabric surface will make the pet more comfortable, the exposed portions of the pet become cold. It has been found that pets, in particularly dogs, are more comfortable during the winter if the pet can enter into a sleeping bag, particularly at night.
There have been various attempts to produce sleeping bags for pets. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,893,586, issued to Carson, and U.S. Pat. No. 2,775,222, issued to Kruck, show sleeping bags for pets which includes a preformed tunnel to define a permanent opening for the entry of the pet, U.S. Pat. No. 4,008,687, issued to Keys, shows a sleeping nook for house pets in the form of an oversized slipper, U.S. Pat. No. 4,169,428, issued to Waugh, shows a pet sleeping bag in the form of a multiple ply padded sheet of deeply quilted material, U.S. Pat. No. 5,010,843, issued to Henry, shows a pet bed having a pocket formed between adjacent surfaces so that the pet may crawl into the pocket, U.S. Pat. No. 5,749,314, issued to Pelham et al, shows a covered dog bed including a spring member which keeps the bed open, and U.S. Pat. No. 5,327,851, issued to Parxc3xa9 et al, shows an animal sleeping bag having a sleeping compartment made of an opaque air permeable material allowing the animal to safely burrow within. It is believed that none of these sleeping bags have meet with substantial commercial success.
It is therefore one object of this invention to provide an improved pet sleeping bag.
It is another object of this invention to provide a pet sleeping bag which is simple to manufacture.
It is still another object of this invention to provide a pet sleeping bag which is easy for the pet to use.
It is yet another object of this invention to provide a pet sleeping bag which maintains its shape while being comfortable to the pet.
In accordance with one form of this invention, there is provided a sleeping bag for pets including an upper fabric member and a lower fabric member. The upper and lower fabric members each have first and second side edges and a front edge. The first side edge of the upper fabric member is attached to the first side edge of the lower fabric member. The second side edge of the upper fabric member is attached to the second side edge of the lower fabric member, thereby forming an enclosure. At least a portion of the first edge of the upper fabric member is not attached to the lower fabric member, thereby forming an opening for the enclosure. The front edge of the lower fabric member extends beyond the front edge of the upper fabric member, thereby forming a shelf from a portion of the lower fabric member, whereby the pet may readily enter the enclosure.
Preferably, the upper and lower fabric members are formed from a plurality of adjacent panels with each adjacent panel being sewn together, forming a valley therebetween. Also, preferably, a rib is included in each valley for providing structural strength for the sleeping bag. In addition, it is preferred that a bordering member is attached to the first and second side edges and the front edges of each fabric member for providing additional structural strength for the sleeping bag. Furthermore, it is preferred that each panel includes upper and lower walls, with a filler material located between the upper and lower walls for providing additional structural strength to the sleeping bag and for providing thermal insulation to help keep the pet warm.